Edinburgh is a hilly city. Perfect for any hill-walker who is afraid to leave the security of civilization - walking in Edinburgh will do the trick. The city is one large mass of ex-volcanic hills producing endless roads that rise steeply from the depths, countless steps that lead forever upwards and paths that slope dangerously downwards.

The city has no underground system as history forbids this. During the times of the Black Plague the citizens of Edinburgh decided to build a new city on top of the old and disease riddled one. Under the historical avenues and streets of today's Edinburgh lies another city, one that is not often visited too often but one that must be preserved. Edinburgh thus relies on a complex system of buses, some frequently arrive on time and others all together with significant pauses, but the system is good.

From Morningside, the up-market and posh-side of town where interesting shops of variety for the browser are located, the roads sweep downward to the centre of town. They descend rapidly to enter history in the old houses of the Grass Market that give suitable colour to the many antique book stores and furniture shops that hang dustily over the narrow pavements. Above these narrow alleys that ooze ghosts and scary tales sits Edinburgh Castle an awesome and imposing century old structure on the Rock that has stood proudly over Edinburgh from before the first house was ever built.

Should a tourist manage to climb the long and winding path to the castle door, manage to stagger out of the whisky museum without falling back down and after having navigated past the enticing souvenir shops that grace the Royal Mile they will have a spectacular view of the city. The Old Town that lies below the castle in a haphazard and ancient fashion and the New Town that swoops gracefully along well designed avenues that gives base to awesome buildings of solid stone.

From a perch at the top of the hill one can see all the way to the bottom of the city, to the Old Port area of Leith that is now a tribute to modern architecture and good living and then to the Firth of Forth and the sea beyond.

It is nice to go down to the bottom. It is lovely to cross over The Waters of Leith, a little river that brooks gently through the New Town. It is even greater to have a drink in one of the many bars and restaurants that grace the now modernized Leith Docks. It can also be a very long walk up the hill should the bus be a wee bit late.